Overdo

Wang Qilin sneered coldly, "Don't give me that official talk. Everyone knows that Third Young Mistress has been in the cold palace for nearly two years. How come Third Young Master suddenly remembers her again? I'd like to see how long this will last."

After hanging up, Lei Shaogong felt like cursing. When he returned that evening, he said to Murong Qingyi, "Among all your lady friends, this Miss Wang is the most troublesome. You'd better find a way to break it off soon." Murong Qingyi replied casually, "Just handle it yourself."

When he returned home, Susu was still awake. Seeing him enter, she stood up. He said, "There's no need for formalities when it's just us. You're lightly dressed—don't sit by the window." Susu naturally took his coat. For over ten days, he had been carefully observing her expression. Seeing a slight smile on her face, he felt extremely pleased and asked, "What did you have for dinner?"

Susu apologized, "I'm sorry, I thought you wouldn't be back so late, so I already ate. I'll have the kitchen prepare something else for you." He asked, "What did you have?" She replied, "I had Yangzhou fried rice." He immediately said, "Then I'll have fried rice too." Hearing this, she couldn't help but smile faintly, and he smiled back at her.

When Mulan married Zhang Mingshu, Susu received the invitation and was overjoyed. The Zhang family was well-off and held a lavish wedding banquet at Moonlight Pavilion, which was truly bustling. The half-street facing Moonlight Pavilion was packed with carriages and guests, as if the entire city's elite had gathered. Mrs. Zhang, sharp-eyed, recognized Susu's carriage and greeted her with beaming smiles, "I didn't expect Third Young Mistress to honor us with your presence." She personally escorted Susu inside. Many of the female guests knew her, and they surrounded her like stars around the moon, chattering with small talk. It took Susu a while to escape to the inner room, where she simply said "Congratulations," took Mulan's hand, and admired her golden bridal gown, the velvet flowers in her hair, and the delicate diamond hairpins that sparkled like starlight under the lamps, radiating joy. Susu couldn't help saying, "I'm truly happy for you." Mulan was also delighted, replying, "After all these years, it's finally come to fruition."

Naturally, Susu was seated at the head table by the hosts. In such a lively occasion, she hardly ate anything, so she had to ask the kitchen to prepare noodles when she returned home. Murong Qingyi, who had been reviewing documents, set aside his papers and teased her, "Did you go out for abalone and shark fin banquet only to come back for plain noodle soup?" She said, "I'm not used to those rich dishes. I noticed the bride didn't eat much either." He asked, "There must have been many guests?" She hummed in agreement and added, "Mulan introduced me to the bridesmaid, Miss Wang. She's very amiable, and Mulan is quite close to her. We've made plans to have coffee together soon."

He said, "It's good to go out with friends often instead of staying cooped up at home all day." Suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Miss Wang? Which Wang family is she from?"

She replied, "She's the second daughter of Minister Wang." His expression changed briefly before returning to normal. "You should keep your distance from that Fang Mulan. We're related by marriage to the Huo family—let's not stir up trouble again." She was taken aback and said, "Mulan and I have been friends for over a decade. The matter with Young Master Xu was so long ago—I don't think it matters anymore."

He said, "Why are you so unreasonable? If others find out, it'll become a joke again."She said, “I can’t just abandon my friends because I’m afraid of gossip.” He felt unsettled. “Anyway, I don’t agree with you spending time with them. If you want to make friends, aren’t the ladies of the Huo, Mu, and Chen families all very amiable?”

She sighed softly. “They’re only amiable to the Third Young Mistress, not to me.”

He said, “See, you’re saying strange things again. Aren’t you the Third Young Mistress?” After a pause, he added, “You know, among those social circles, there’s the most gossip. I just don’t want you accidentally getting involved and being used by those with ulterior motives.” Susu said, “I understand.”

With his recent promotion, he naturally seemed busier than usual. Returning from a business trip that day, he first visited his parents at Shuangqiao. When he arrived home, Susu was having dinner. He said, “Don’t stand up, there’s no one else here.” Turning to the servants, he instructed, “Tell the kitchen to add a couple of dishes and bring me a pair of chopsticks.” Noticing the drunken snails in a small glass dish on the table—their color like red dates and shape like pears, extremely small, like miniature pears—he recognized them as the specialty pear snails from Pingxin Sea and asked, “These are quite rare. Where did they come from?”

Susu said, “Mulan and Mr. Zhang have returned from their honeymoon in Pingxin Sea and brought back a basket of these for me to try.”

He took the chopsticks and tasted one. “Very fragrant,” he remarked. Then he asked, “Did we change chefs? This doesn’t taste like their usual style.” Susu replied, “Last time, I heard Mother mention that you like these. I was afraid the kitchen might make them too salty, so I tried pickling a few myself. I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out and thought I’d taste them tonight, since I expected you back tomorrow.” Murong Qingyi beamed with delight. “So it was the Third Young Mistress who pickled these herself. I’m truly honored.” Seeing how pleased he was, Susu smiled and said, “As long as you enjoy them.” When the kitchen brought up some congee, he casually asked, “Did you meet them outside, or did they come to the house?”

Susu said, “I know you don’t like outsiders coming here, so I met Mulan outside. I treated her and Mr. Zhang to a meal. They chose the place, called Qianchun Lou, and it cost a hundred and forty dollars.”

At this, he laughed. “Enough, enough. I was just asking casually; you don’t need to report every detail.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “I’d forgotten—your monthly allowance is only five hundred dollars; that might not be enough. I’ll have a word with them and arrange for my salary to be given directly to you starting this month.”

Susu said, “I don’t have many expenses. I can’t even spend five hundred a month.” He replied, “Prices are high lately. Buying a single dress might cost over a hundred dollars. That five hundred of yours would be gone after a few outings with friends.” She said, “The clothes Mother had made for me are more than I can wear, and besides, I can charge many expenses to the account. You must have more expenses than I do; there’s no need to give me your entire salary.” This made him laugh. “Silly, what can a few thousand dollars in salary do? Don’t worry about me. If you have leftover money, just buy more things you like.” Noticing her slight embarrassment, he changed the subject. “That Qianchun Lou sounds quite nice. I wonder how the food is?”Susu said, "It's a newly opened Yunnan restaurant. Some of their dishes are quite unique, especially the dried bow fish—it's delicious." Murong Qingyi felt somewhat uneasy upon hearing this but still smiled and asked, "What made you think of trying Yunnan cuisine?" Susu replied, "Miss Wang is from Yunnan, and she recommended we go try it together." Upon hearing this, Murong Qingyi's expression remained unchanged as he simply said, "Keep your distance from that Miss Wang."